These two pilot studies, undertaken in
the Swedish municipalities of Tidaholm (9,000 inhabitants)
and Trollhattan ( 40,000 inhabitants), are directed at
issues concerning the relation between green structure and
public planning and decision-making processes. In this
connection, green structure denotes all areas within the
urban zone which are either green or unsealed (not built or
paved over). Special attention is given to the question of
whether the green structure is handled in a separate or
integrated way in relation to urban planning as a whole. The
studies are based on the following three
questions:

1. How is "green structure" looked upon
as a concept as well as a physical phenomenon by the
different public "actors" and in different planning
documents?

2. How is green structure handled in
public planning and decision-making? Which concepts are
used? Which green structure functions are being
realised?

3. What forces determine the development
of green structure? What potential does green structure have
for the overall urban development?

The pilot studies indicate that there is
a huge difference in area between both the "actual" and
"formal green structure" (the green structure designated in
city plans). While the actual green structure represents all
unsealed and non built-up areas in the urban zone, the
formal green structure represents areas marked as "green" in
public planning documents. About 70% of the total actual
green structure in Tidaholm consists of formal green
structure. In Trollhattan about 40% of the total actual
green structure is planned formal green structure. These
differencies are represented by areas that can be identified
as urban fringe, private gardens and areas with different
uses and landowners. Thus, these non-designated green spaces
often offer the potential for the development of an
ecological solution to technical problems. The use of the
actual green structure as an instrument in public planning
and decision-making seems to be on the increase, probably
due to growing ecological awareness which does not pay any
attention to the ownership of different sites. The two
studies also point to the difficulty of being precise when
discussing the role of green structure in urban design and
planning. Discussion tends to stop at an abstract level and
this applies especially to structural planning.

Since green structure became an
individual element in urban design and planning, the social
and aesthetic aspects are considered the most important in
the planning and decision making processes. At present, when
systems for technical facilities are rapidly dated and the
concentration of people creates environmental problems,
ecological aspects of green structure are becoming more
important. Even so, it seems to be quite difficult to
translate these aspects into practical, usable knowledge for
urban design and planning. An important explanation for this
situation relates to the increased specialisation in
science.

It is possible to identify the
organisation of green structure planning as an important
force in the development and status of green structure.
Individual, dedicated employees can also have a lot of
influence on the way these issues are handled. In smaller
towns, as in Tidaholm, green structure planning is often
organised in a way that reflects limited economic resources.
In such an organisation, the green structure issues are
often handled on a structural level by an urban planning
department. The result is that the green structure issues
are dealt with at a relatively early stage in the planning
and decision-making processes. In bigger towns and cities
such Trollhattan, public planning is most often divided
between several departments, each with their own
responsibilities. This may make it difficult to obtain an
overview of the green structure issues. In Trollhattan the
solution to this problem has so far relied on the employee
responsible for ecological issues at the municipal level,who
is devoted and able to inspire both politicians and
employees in other departments.